10 Delft, 1000 fixtures in 52 hours

Delft station is one of the few fully enclosed (underground) stations. Other fully enclosed stations are Rijswijk, Best and Schiphol. A fully enclosed platform requires 200 Lux. That is why a continuous fluorescent light strip was fitted above the platform in Delft upon delivery in 2015. The existing light strip was converted with LED internals from the original supplier in 2019. A decommissioning of 52 hours was scheduled in 2019 to work the second tunnel tube. During this decommissioning, the station in the first tunnel tube was out of service as well with no work planned. In the space of these 52 hours, the contractor was able to convert the approx. 1000 fluorescent fixtures to LED. The work was carried out with dozens of technicians and a large number of aerial platforms simultaneously, following a script with military precision. Another decommissioning was scheduled for a few weeks later, which the contractor could use in case the task would not be completed in the first 52 hours, but as it turned out, this was unnecessary.

The train hall was already lit by LED, so no need for conversion there. A few places with insufficiently lighting remained above the stairs; extra spotlights were installed there.

Tips and conclusions:

Always try to hitch a ride with scheduled train-free periods (TFPs).

Let the installer join the TFP meeting.

– Have a plan B for potential delays.